Refrigerated vehicle



Oct.'13, 1942. w, ER 2,298,569

- REFR IGERA'IiED VEHICLE and July 22, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 r 2 4 I 7 W 2 1 Z 2 w m. k .9 x m M "EL W m wn A." 1. Q m w. v. 5 f 1 l .L r B Z I an? 5 7 W w W W v Q a MMMW m m a m T I: ma 1! m NF, m a H w A 1 1 w 1M m W 7/ Patented Oct. 13,1942

Eric Willardi Lager, I'alos Park, Ill.,, assignor to: Industrial Patents Corporation, Chicago, 111., a corporation Delaware Application July 22', 1.940, SeriaI No. 346,780

1. Claim.

This invention relates to improvements. in air conditioners, especially adaptable for use: in transport vehicle bodies.

One of the objects of the invention is. to provide an improved air conditioner unit.

Another object of the invention isv to provide an improved air conditioner unit especially adaptable for use in trucks, railway cars and the like.

Another object'of the invention is to provide an improved air conditioner unit in which a liquid medium is carried first indirect contact. with a chilling medium, and thence immediately across the current of treated air.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved air conditioner unit in which prechilled air is carried in direct contact with a chilled liquid medium.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent from the description and claim which follow.

' In the drawings, like characters of reference are used to designate similar elements.

Figure 1 is a front elevational view, partly in section, illustrating the air conditioner: unitv mounted adjacent one end wall of an enclosure which, for purposes of illustration, is an automobile truck body.

Figure 2 is a top plan view, partly in section, of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken substantially on line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is an end elevational view, partly in section, of Figure 1.

The enclosure partially shown in the drawings, is an automobile truck body, having a bottom I, opposite side walls 2, rear wall 3, top wall I, and a front wall not shown. The air conditioner unit of the present invention preferably is mounted adjacent rear wall 3- and comprises broadly an enclosed reservoir 5 adapted to contain a body 6 of a liquid medium which, for example, may be brine. Reservoir 5 is mounted upon standards I and is formed 0! bottom wall 8, opposite side walls 9 and III, opposite. end walls II and I2, and top wall I3;

Chamber I4 is adapted to contain a charge of chunk ice I5 or other solidified chilling medium and is encased within the top portionof reservoir 5. Chamber I4 comprises opposite side walls I6; and I1 in spaced relation with side. walls 9; and II), respectively, and perforated bottom wall it; Opposite end walls II and I2 and top wall [Lit is seen, are common to chamber I4 as well as. to. reservoir 5. Chamber I4 is rigidly maintained within reservoir 5 as by top wall I3, and a plurality of spaced brackets I9 welded or otherwise rigidly secured. to side walls a and lo, as at 20,

door 25. Reservoir 5-is provided with drainconduit 26 provided with valve 21.

As shown in the drawings, an inlet air duct. 28 is extended from against each of side walls 2, preferablyfrom approximately'the forward end of the enclosureintocommunication with reservoir 5 through a.v suitable opening 29 provided in each of end walls: I: and I 2, adiacent. top wall I3 I and between spaced side walls S-and I6; Also, as. shown in the drawings, side wall II is provided with: air outlet opening 30, in which is positioned draft fan SI.

Since, as. has been pointed out, end walls I I and. I2 and top wall I3 are common to chamber I4, aswell: asto reservoir 5, it is seen that warm air drawn through openings 29 by the action of fan II, is: forced to pass firstv between spaced walls 9 and It, secondly, through the air space provided between thev body 6 of liquid medium and perforated bottom wall I8. and third, between spaced walls Ill and I1, whence it is again discharged through opening 30 into the truck body enclosure. In order to secure the extreme drop. or differential in the temperature of the air passing between inlets 29 and outlets. 30, the

present invention purposes to continuously re-' circulate the body 6v of chilling medium into direct contact with the charge of solidified chilling medium I5, whence. in chilled condition, the liquidmedium will drain through perforated bottom I8 to traverse the circulated air as, it passes through the air space between the body 6 of liquid medium and the perforated bottom I8- The liquid medium circulating means comprises conduit 32 provided with force circulating. means. 33 which conduit at one end, as at. opening 34, communicates with the body of liquid medium I and at its opposite end, as. at 35, communicates. with header 36. Header 36 is arranged adjacent the top of chamber I 4 and is provided with a. plurality ofspray outlet nozzles 31 arranged to spray the liquid medium directly 44, which through the medium of shaft 39, pulley 4|, belt 4|, and pulley 42, operates the force circulating means, and, which through the medium of shaft 3!, pulley 43, chain 44, and pulley 45, operates the fan II. The shaft 3! is journaled within bearings 46 rigidly secured to end wall I! as by bracket 41. Each of the pulleys 3|. 4|, and 43 is pinioned to shaft 39. Pulley 42 is pinioned to the pump shaft 4'. Pulley 45 is pinioned to the fan shaft 4!.

It is seen that the device of the present invention is simply constructed and also that it may be made of light materials which makes it especially adaptable for use in truck or other trans port vehicle bodies. Also, it is seen that in the unit of the present invention, the incoming warm air is prechilled. first by its contact with the outer wall I4 -of chamber l4 and thence that it is chilled to a much lower limit by direct contact with the chilled liquid medium draining from perforated bottom I8. In actual tests, it has been and end walls, an ice bunker having a perforated bottom wall mounted within the top portion of the brine container and in spaced relation with opposite side walls of the brine container and providing a continuous air passage between the oppositeside walls, an air space between the brine in the container and the perforated bottom wall of the ice bunker, an air inlet adjacent to the top of the brine container communicatin with the air space and with the air passage defined by one pair of spaced side walls of the ice bunker and the brine container, an air outlet adiacent to the top of the brine container communicating with the air space and with the air passage defined by the opposite pair of spaced sidewalls of the ice bunker and the brine container, a conduit provided with force circulat ing means extending from the bottom of the brine container into the ice bunker and above the ice contained therein and having a plurality of spray outlet nozzles adapted to spray the brine delivered from the brine container directly in contact with the ice in the ice bunker whereby the brine will drain through the ice and become chilled thereby and will drain by gravity through the perforated bottom of the ice bunker and across the air space, and means including a fan for causing the continuous circulation of fresh air through the air passage and air space whereby the incoming warm air is prechilled by contact with the outer walls of the ice bunker and then chilled to a much lower degree by direct contact with the chilled brine trickling from the perforated bottom wall of the ice bunker.

ERIC WILLARD LAGER. 

